Word of the Day: sentry

The word sentry has appeared in 37 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Oct. 3 in “Strange Scenes of Ian: From a Doorbell Camera” by Rebecca Halleck and Audra D. S. Burch:

Hurricane Ian’s menace sent homeowners around Florida scurrying to safer parts while their technology stood sentry. Home camera security systems served as the unflinching eyes and ears for anxious people whose homes were in the storm’s wide and teetering path.

The combination of sights and sounds captured by the popular systems forged the strangest feeling, both destabilizing and reassuring at the same time: From other parts of Florida or other states altogether — or even from the windowless interiors of their homes — homeowners watched one of the most powerful storms to ever strike Florida as a kind of ominous theater.

Can you correctly use the word sentry in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how sentry can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.


Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

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